Duma Buries Appeal To Putin To Denounce Anti-semitism

The State Duma buried an appeal to President Vladimir Putin to denounce anti-Semitic acts in Russia with 129 "yes" votes against a threshold 226. 17 voted "no", and one abstained. Initiated by Alexander Fedulov of the pro-Kremlin Unity parliamentary group, the appeal warned about extremist forces out to seize power and torpedo current reforms. As they seek their ends, extremists are destabilising interethnic relations, which it will take many decades to get back to normal. The draft appeal called the federal President to work for close compliance with citizens' constitutional rights and freedoms, and to propose to the federal Prosecutor-General a tougher monitoring of such compliance by prosecutors. The draft spoke of parliament's lower house denouncing anti-constitutional anti-Semitic manifestations and crime bred by ethnic prejudice. The document called to pass as soon as possible a federal law banning neo-nazi propaganda, and amend Clause 282 of the Criminal Code to enhance liabilities for instigation of ethnic, racial and religious hatred.